[Download a pdf of this entry along with a printable journal page for today HERE.]
40 DAYS OF LENT: DAY #22
WORD OF TODAY: Galatians 3:1-3 (ESV)
1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
THOUGHTS ON THE WORD:
The Christians in Galatia are struggling. Saint Paul asks them if they are unintelligent, which is another way in which we could translate “foolish”. The witness these Galatians now bear more resemble a pursuit of fleshly perfection (if there was such a thing) than a Spiritual perfection. They were enlightened into the Gospel Truth by the Spirit, began to live in the Spirit, and now are on the cusp of abandoning the Spirit to their own fleshly prerogatives.
This account reminds us that Christians being born anew in the Spirit through faith in Christ Jesus remain under spiritual attack. The very faith foundations of the Christian are cleverly challenged and shrewdly disguised. This is especially true for those who are just beginning their faith journey.
Consider today where you secure your faith anchor. What basic Truth do you return to and count on to hold you when the storm winds begin to blow, lifting waves and wind against the very foundation of your faith?
Is it not Jesus Christ, God incarnate of the Virgin Mary, condemned as a criminal unjustly with willing acceptance on behalf of the one who believes in Him? The Holy Spirit will always reveal the Gospel Truth, pointing the believer toward the Son through whom the believer might approach the Father.
Is this your anchor point? Consider today what your anchor point truly is and how you might offer an alms-gift to another to share your anchor point.